Collapsible door.



H; HEDWALL.

GOLLAPSIBLE DOOR.

APPLICATION FILED `11111.20, 1911.

1,012,849, PatentedDec. 26, 1911.

-fofm @f KM. QM/ M aM-' HENNING .nnDwALn or oUINcY, nmssncnu'srz'rrs` COLLAPSIBLE DOOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 26, 1911.

Application led January 20, 1911. Serial No. 603,627.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENNING HnDwALL, a subject of the King of Sweden, residing at Quincy, in the county of` Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Collapsible Doors, of which the following is a specication. i g,

This-invention relates to improvements in collapsible doors of that class in which the door proper is composed of a series of strips or sections hinged to each other on vertical axes, such as that which forms the subject matter of U; S. Letters Patent, No. 958,961, 'issued to me Mayl24, 1910, and the object is primarily to provide a door of this class which shall be automatic in its action, simple and practical in its construction and which shall operate in a reliable manner without cramping or binding.

.One feature relates to improved means for supporting and guiding the door.

Another feature relates to a means for assuring the proper action of the sections in folding upon one another in entering the casing and unfolding preparatory to leaving the casing. f

To these ends, my invention consists in the novel features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of 'parts set forth -in the following specification and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is an elevation of a door embodying my invention with its` casing partly in section and the guides at top and bottom of the door partly in section. Fig. 2 is an enlarged planl section taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1, showing the door in its closed position. Fig. 3 is 'a plan section taken on line 2-2 of Fig- 1, showing the door in its open position. Fig. 4 is a detail plan section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1, showing the parts of the door in the position which they occupy after the door has started to collapse. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view t-aken on line 5 5 of Fig. 1, looking toward the left. Fig. 6 is a detail plan section taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1,'showing some of thev hinged sections folded upon one another within the casing and illustrating the action of the guides which assure a proper action of the sections in folding upon one another in en- 4tions one upon another.

19 and 21 being located on one side of the door and the hinges 18 and 20 being located on the opposite side of the door so as to assure the proper folding action of the sec- The several sections are preferably rabbeted into one another, as shown, so as to make the door tight and also to increase its strength against any lateral pressure that may be brought to bear against it from either side.

The sections of which the door is composed are suspended from a suitableguide track 22 in any suitable manner as by providing wheels 23 and 24 arranged to roll along the track 22, the former being journaled upon a suitable bracket 2o secured to the section 11 and the latter being j ournaled upon a suitable bracket 26 secured to the section 16. The track 22 is preferably mountedv in a suitable horizontal casing 27 provided in its under side with a slot 28 through which the sections -of which the door is composed extend. There is also preferably provided -a vertical casing 29 chamber is provided with a laterally inclined offset portion 32 extending at an obtuse angle to the straight portion vof the track. Preferably, the track 22 is provided with a suitable groove 33 inits upper side to soA guide the wheels 23 and 24, this groove be- Y ing preferably narrow along its straight portion and being preferably widened and made somewhat V-shaped at its offset portion 32, as shown in Fig. 5, so as to permit the wheel 24 to travel around the curve with a of the laterally offset portion 32 and to allow the section 16 to swing into a position transverse to said offset portion of the track. Preferably, the track 22 is located directly above the upper extremities of the hinged sections of the door so that the door is thereby prevented from lifting and the wheels from jumping of of said track. The track is preferably provided in its under side with a groove 34 in its straight portion, in which groove the upper extremities of the hinged sections are guided' and prevented from swinging one upon another. This groove, of course, terminates at the entrance to the chamber 3() so that when 'the sections -enter the chamber they may swing laterally upon their respective hinges. Preferably, the lower extremities of the hinged sections are guided by a suitable guide 35 which may be either the floor or threshold provided oove 36 to receive the door and constituting lateral guides therefor. This guide ma also `be provided with agroove or slot 3 to receive a pin 38 projecting from the bottom of the section 16. This j slot will, of course, be laterally offsetat an verging lateral guides 39 and 40 which converge toward the slot 31 and are secured to said casing adj acent'to said slot, these guides preferably consisting` of springs adapted to yield laterally when engaged by the sections of the door. The ide 39 cooperates with a projection 41 on the section 14 and the guide 40 coperates with a similar projection 42 on the section 15. -These guides constitute one ofthe im ortant features of my invention and it w' be understood that vif it were not for the provision of these guides the hinged sections in foldin andunfolding would tend to swin too ar one way or I' the other and'would t us become inoperative. For example, referring to Fig. 5, it will be observed that the projection 41 prevents the section 14 from swinging toward l the left too far, it being evident that if it should swing too far toward the section 13 it would not unfold in its opening movement. In a similar manner, the projection 42 'prevents the section 15 from swinging too far and causing a like diiculty. These guides, moreover, constitute a sort of throat from which the sections issue as they fold one upon another, as shown in Fig. 6, and they assurea positive, reliable land automatic folding and unfolding of the sections.

The section 11 may be provided with a suitable handle or handles 43 by. means of which the door may be operated. If desired, the door casing may be provided op# posite the casing 29 with a vertical groove` 44 to receive the left hand edge of the section 11.

4when collapsed. lThis is, vof course, a distinct advantage where economy of space is necessary.

The door may be built of either woodor metal, as desired, and when built of metal is very serviceable and may serve as a fire door or shutter. I Having thus described my invention, what I `claim and desire by Letters Patent to secure is:

1. A collapsible door having, in combination, a series of sections hinged together on vertical axes, a guide track located above said sections, said track having a laterally inclined offset at one end thereof, and two wheels journaled on two of said sectibns respectivelyv and arranged in rolling contact with said track.

2. A collapsible door having, in combination, a series of sections hinged together on vertical axes, means to support and guide said sections including a gulde having a laterally inclined offset at one end thereof, a casing provided with a vertical slot through which said sections may pass into said cas'- ing, and a pair of guides located in said casing and converging towardsaid slot.

3. A collapsible ldoor having, in combination a series of sections hinged together on vertical axes, means to su portand guide said sections including a gulde having a laterally inclined offset at one end thereof, a casing provided with a vertical slot through which said sections may ass into said casing, and a pair of lateralfy yieldable guides located in said casing and'converging toward said slot.

4. .A collapsible door having, in combina-f tion, a series of sections hinged vtogether on y said sections including a gulde having a laterally inclined offset at one end thereof, a casing provided with a vertical slot through which said sections may pass into said casing, and a pair of guides located in said casing and converging toward said slot, the free end of Aone of said guides extending be yond the other.

6. A collapsible door having, in combination, a series of sections hinged together on vertical axes, means to support and guide said sections including a guide having a laterally inclined ol'set at one end thereof,Av a casing provided with a vertical slot through which said sections may pass into said casing, a pair of guides located in said casing and converging tward said slot, and means projecting from a plurality of said sections 10 adapted to engage said guides.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENNING HEDWALL.

` Witnesses: Y.

LOUIS A. J oNEs, Saum V. MCCARTHY. 

